Abre los ojos (1997)

A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil

Stars:

Eduardo Noriega, Penélope Cruz, Chete Lera

6 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eduardo Noriega	...	César
Penélope Cruz	...	Sofía
Chete Lera	...	Antonio
Fele Martínez	...	Pelayo
Najwa Nimri	...	Nuria
Gérard Barray	...	Duvernois
Jorge de Juan	...	Encargado L.E.
Miguel Palenzuela	...	Commisario
Pedro Miguel Martínez	...	Médico Jefe
Ion Gabella	...	Recluso paranoico
Joserra Cadiñanos	...	Guardia
Tristán Ulloa	...	Camarero
Pepe Navarro	...	Presentador T.V.
Jaro	...	Médico 1
Walter Prieto	...	Médico 2

Storyline

A once handsome playboy, César finds himself in a mental facility and he can't remember why. All he can remember is meeting the love of his life for one day, and then getting into a car accident which left his face horribly disfigured. But the pain of becoming physically undesirable may help him to find the truth.

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Plot Keywords:

love | self pity | immortality | suffering | accidental shooting | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexuality, language and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie Eduardo Noriega appears moving by an empty Madrid's Gran Vía, without cars or people. This scene was victim of a certain polemic due to The Devil's Advocate (1997), where its main character Keanu Reeves appears moving by a too totally empty New York City's Fifth Avenue, creating a doubt about which of the two scenes was copied (or plagiarized) of the other.

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Goofs

As César runs on an "empty" street at the beginning of the film, three people can be seen. One, a man in a blue shirt, standing in the bottom right corner of the frame, and two other people on a balcony above him.

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Quotes

Nuria: Do you believe in god?

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Connections

References Lost Highway (1997)

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Soundtracks

Glamour
Written by Aurora López, José Antonio López and Joaquin Díaz
Performed by Amphetamine Discharge

User Reviews

Mind-bending.

"Abre Los Ojos" is one of the most astonishing movies I have ever seen. It's so full of astounding twists that it constantly makes you sit up and wonder what the next shot will bring you. At the same time, you keep wondering if a movie with so many twists will be able to tie everything up at the end, but Amenabar and his co-writer manage to do just that, in a reasonably (if not perfectly) satisfying manner. Eduardo Noriega's acting is so good it's beyond belief, and so is the "disfiguring" makeup. Pair this off with "The Game" for a truly mind-bending double feature and see what cinema should be like more often. (***1/2)

Details

Country:

Spain France Italy

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Open Your Eyes

Filming Locations:

Gran Vía, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

ESP370,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,289, 18 April 1999

Gross USA:

$370,720

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$377,967

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, Las Producciones del Escorpión, Les Films Alain Sarde

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1